Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2 ~
!`'.'
' ~`
~ 43
;. DISP~A~ D~V~~
BACK~RQUND OF ~ L~YR~TI~
; .
.
~, Field Qf ~he_InvçntiQn
Thi~ invention relates to a point of ~ale display device
including an open-faced product shippi~g contalner or plurallty
of like container~ on a ~helf in order to provide cu~tomer acce~a
c to the products w~thin the container or container~.
cri~tiQn Q~lsL~
.,
~;i In dieplaying products at a point of sale location it ie
.. ~ known for merchant~ to take a ~hipping container such as a
~i cardboard box which holds a plurality of individual product~,
,.~ remove the top lid.or cut of~ a top portion to provide an open
J
~ace on the ~ox, and then place the ~ox on a 3helf for acces~ by
cu~tomers~ The box i3 usually placed on a shelf with it~ open
~P~ face ver~ically disposed toward the cu~tcmer to make product
access more'convenient. The ~ox i~ free to ~hi~t inwardly,
outwardly and ~ideways on the qhelf. In removing product~ from
~he box the cu~tomer can inadvertently shift the box outwardly,
causing it to fall off the ~helf, or move the box laterally~
;~1 which may cau~e it to contact and dislodge an adjacent box or
~oxes. A falli~g box offer~ potentlal for injury and the impact
r, o~ th~ fall may result in d2mage to the produc~ in tha box.
. ~!
order to m:Lnimlze ~uch problems many merchan~ do not
$ place an open-faced ~hipp~ng box directly on a ~helf. Mo~ of~en
.
,,:
'',
. .
'"''',~ ' ' ' .' ' ' ' ' ' .' " : ' '
~:' ~ . . .
:~'
)7 ~7
.
.
9i43
the product~ are removed from kheir ~hipping box and ~tacked
~3 individually or placed in product holding bin~ on ~helve~.
l,j
-~ Either of ~he~e alternatives i9 more labor lntensive and
"
" therefore more costly than simply placing open-faced ~hippiny
;~ containera with the product3 therein directly onto ~helvee.
~i Known product di~play~ i~tack open-faced container~ at a
, point of purcha~e. It i~, for example, ~nown from U.S. Patent
."~ Nos. 1,849,659 and 4,708,240, to provide display devices ~or
~:j eupporting open-faced containers in vert~cally ~tacked, ~tepped-
back relation to each other. The di~play support3 of these prior
patents are not adapted for removably ~ecuring individual open-
.,
,. faced product ~hipping containers on a standard horizontal ehelf.
~,~
i
3 5UMMARY QF THB XNv~NTTQ~
; - The inve~tion provide~ a display device that can be used
ingularly for ~ecuring a ~in~le open-aced container on a ~helf
for di~play and aCCeB8 to the container contenta. The device can
also be used in multiplec to ~ecure any number of like open-faced
container~ on a shelf. The display device compri~e~ a frame
havlng an acce3s opening. The f rame i~ dimensioned to surround
the open face of a container.
, A releasable locking mean~ ie provided on the frame for
~; .
~ removably ~ecuring the frame to the container. The releasable
`'' locking mean~ may lnclude a detent that pro~ectis in cantllever
J
,,
, i
., ~
:::: : :: ' :
: ~ :
2 ~ 7
S9143
fai~hion from the ~rame for a di~tance that wlll enable the detent
to en~age an opening in the ~ide of the container.
An anchor mean~ i~ provided for attaching the frame to the
~helf when the diaplay i~ in use. ~he anchoring mea~s preferably
.~ includss a base member having upper and lower 0ide~. A bayonet
~' on the upper side of the base member i9 relea~ably received
.~ within an aperture in the dii~play frame. The lower side of ~he
baee member i~ provided with an attaching device ~uch a~ an
adhesive 8trip for attachin~ the base member to the ~helf.
Preferably, the frame include~,top, bot~om and slde walls,
'~ with the releasable locking mean~ being ~ecured on the inner
,i ~ur~ace o~ each of th~ ~de wall~. The ~rame preferably al~o
~, include~ a front wall which extends between the frame ~ide walls
~J and which defi~es the accea~ opening. The front wall extends
.~, across the lower part of the container opening 90 as to retain
~ items wi~thin the container ~hile affording acce~s to ~he ltems.
'~ The product name, trademark, pric~ and other informatio~
regarding the product can be promi~ently di~played on ~he fron~
wall o~ the rame.
.
A disadvantage of removing the top of a iYh~pping box and
placing the ~ox on a shelf re~ide~ in the fact ~hat such
,~ information regarding the product i~ not promi~en~ly di3played at
~1 a proper locatio~ on the box for convenient reading by th2
~ customer. Being able to vlew the ~ndividual product packag~a
;,j , ,
,
,
.,. , - ~ . . .
i 7 ~7
,
:~.
BeMgl43
.1 inside the box wlll not overcome thi~ ~hortcomlng when the
,.
.~ product package~ are ~mall. Wi~h 0mall packagea the printed
~! information i~ not easily read unle~,3 the cuetomer i~ very clo~e
~! to the ~helf. In those instances whlere ~he product i~ packed in
.~' bulk in the box, trademark~ or produlct name~ are frequently no~
on the indivldual product~ or, if thlsy are, they are not easily
~een by the customer. The di~play device embodying the lnvention
~olves thei3e problems.
Another advantage of the invention i~ the provision of a
~,.
.~, display device that sub~tantially prevent~ the container from
shifting on the shelf.
Another advantage o~ the invention i~ the provlsion of
'.' di~play device that retains itema in the container whlle
affording acce~s to the items.
Other feature~ and advantages of the invention ~ill become
apparent to tho~e ~killed in the art upon review of the ~ollowing
i~ de2cription, clalm~ and drawing~.
~i ,
. Brief De~cripti~ Ç~f ThQD~3~lng~
~igure 1 ii~ a per~pective ~iew of ~he di~pl~y device mounted
.i on an open-~aced shipping sontainer.
Figure 2 i~ an explode~ per0pectiv~ view of the display
~' ~evice ~hown 1~ Pigure 1.
~3
Z
Z
'`,
~`i ' :. ' .. : ,
2 ~ ) 7 ~L 7
:
~BM91i3
Figure 3 ie an elevatlonal view of a multiplicity of dieplay
devicee mounted in ~lde-by-eide relation on vertlcally spaced
horlzontal ~helveY.
Pigure 4 i~ a partlal sectional vie~ taken along line 4-4 of
Figure 3.
Figure 5 i8 a partial ~ectional view taken along line S-S of
Figure 3.
D~scrip~ion Of The .~Qferrç~ ~m~Qdiment
A di~play device lD embodying the invention i~ illus~rated
in the drawing~ Referring to Pigure~ 1, 2 and 4, the display
devlce 10 include8 a plurality of frame~ 12. Each frame 12 ha~ a
front wall 13, a top wall 14, a bottom wall 16 (Fig. 5), and ~ide
w~ 18 and 20. The front wall 13 defines an access opening 22.
Each side wall ha~ a rearward edge 23. Each of the top, bottom
and ~ide walls ha~ outer and inner sur~aces 24 and 26. The inner
surface~ 26 are d~mension2d ao a~ to surround the open face 29
(Fig. 2) of a box or container 2g having oppoeed ~ide walls 30.
Preferably, the frame 12 include3 an inner margin 31 that extend~
rearwardly from the front wall 13, that i space~d from the top,
bottom and ~ide wallc 14, 16, 1~ and 20, ~nd that cooperate~ with
. "
s the front wall 13 to define the access opening 22. ~he inner
margin 31 extend~ a ~hort distance towards the interior of the
container 23, and the margin 31 and the front wall 13 intersec~
, -5-
,
/
~: :,.
~-: ~: -:, .
57 ~7
IlEM9l43
to form a rouDded peripheral edge 32 tha~ i9 ~ubstan~ially
harmless if accidently contacted by a customer.
The frame 12 further include~ (see Figs. 2 a~d 4) a
releasable locking mean~ 33 for securing the frame 12 ~o the
container 29. The relea~able locking means 33 i8 located on each
of the side wall~ 18 and 20 of the frame 12. ~ach relea~a~le
locking means 33 lnclude~ a detent 34. The detent 34 pro~ects
forwardly a~d inwardly in cantilever fashion from the inner
aurface 26 of the frame ~ide wall, prefsrably at an angle o~
app'rox.imately 45 degreee. The dete~t 34 may b formed int~grally
with t~e frame 12, but preferably i~ defined by a clip member 35.
The clip mem~er 35 i~clude~ ~eee Fig. 4) an inner or ~uppor~
suxface 36 and an outer surface 37. The detent 34 extend~ from
~he aupport surface 35. The clip memb~r 35 al~o includes a
gauging mean~ in the form o~ an outwardly pro~ecting bead member
38. When the clip member 35 i9 properly located on the frame 12,
the bead 3~ regi~ter~ with the rear edge 23 of the Erame side
wallO Thi9 automatically locate~ the detent 34 at a
predetenmined po~ition in facing relation to the side wall 30 of
,
~he container 29. ~he outer ~urface 37 of the clip me~er 35 i9
secured ~o the inner ~urace 26 o~ the frame side wall 1~ or 20
, by any ~uitable mea~ ~uch a~ an adhe~ive.
! ~ach ~ide wall 30 of the container 29 include8 (3ee ~ig~. 2
and 4) a reces~ ~uch a~ a~ elongated 810t or depres~ion 48, with
,
~ ~;
.
`~ 2~
;..
" ~IEM9143
. .,
~i the predetermlned position of the a~ociated detent 34 being such
that the detent 34 extends into the 810t 4~ when ~he frame 12 i9
, ~ ~
mounted on the container 29. Such enga~ement of the detent~ 34
and the elots 4~ relea~ably 3ecures the frame 12 to the container
29. The angle of the detent~ 34 facilitates eli~ing the frame 12
over the open face of the container 29. Preferably, the ~ide
walls 30 of the contalner are deflected inwardly by ~he de~ent~
34 until the detents become aligned with the 310t~ 4B, at which
point the detents 34 ~pop~ into the 910t~ 48 ~or, more
accurately, the side wall~ 30 of the container move outwardly ~o
~ .
that the detents extend into the elot~.
S~ Some ahipping containers are provided with hand holes for
~ convenient handling. I~ de~ired the detent 34 can be si~ed and
.,!
:~ located to f~t the hand hole of a ~hipping container. In~tead of
; ,,
~q having the detents 34 be rigidt the container wall~ can be rigid
, ~ ~
~ and the detents can be ~lexible, deflectable membera. Al~o,
.~ rather than havi~g recesses or ~lot~ in the container walla, the
~ ~"
;" deten~ 34 can have sharp ende that bite into the container wall~
.~ 30 to retain the frame 12 on the contalner.
`.'~ AB shown in Figs. 1-4, a tab element 50 e~t~ends from the
outer ~urface 24 of aach ~rame ~ide wali 18 or 20 and project~
:' away from the fr~me acce~ opening 22. The tab element~ 50
,;~ .
~;J provide a gripping area ~or use in relea~ing the detents 34 f~om
~1
~........ thP alot~ 48 as wi:ll be more ~ully explained hereina~ter.
..~
`'
.` -7-
,.,
,~
:,
,~
2~0~717
Referring to ~lgure 5, the frame front wall 13 lie~
generally in a vertical plane 54 when the frame 12 1~ in0talled
on a container 29 that ~ resting on a horizontal ~helf 56. The
front wall 13 include~ a retention panel 60 below the acces~
opening 22. The panel 60 extend~ acr.o~ the lower portion of the
open face of the container 29 and ~e~ea ~o retain produc~ ln
the container 29. The retention panel 60 can be integral with or
separate from the remainder of the frame 12. The panel 60 i~
preferably an integral part of the frame 12 and is canted at an
angle 62 (~ee Fig. 5) relative to the vertical plane 54 to
present the p~nel 60 at a convenient viewing angle for customer~.
The container retention panel 60 preferably includes (~ee Fig. l)
an information presentation area 64 which can include ~uch
i~forma~ion ag a picture of the product, the trademark, ~he
pricP, and fu~ctional and technical ~pecifications relatin~ ~o
the product.
A~ ~hown ~n Plgures 2 and 5, the display device 10 ~ur~her
include~, for each frame 12, an anchor mean~ 70 ~or attaching the
frame 12 to the shelf 56. The anchor means 70 comprises a base
mem~er or ~trip 72 havi~g (see Pig. s) upper an~ lower ~ide~ 7~
and 76. The upper eide 74 has extending upwardly therefrom (~ee
Fig. 2) a longitudinal ridge 78 and spaced bayonet members 80
project~ng from the ridge 78. The strlp 72 ~8 preferably
extruded and the rid~e 78 i~ cut to provide the ~paces between
-8-
"'" . .
.
~1037~7
. .
~, .
~, a~l~3
the bayonets 80. The lower slde of the ~trip 72 1~ pro~lded with
an attachlng means ~uch as ~ layer of contact sensltive adhe~ive
1 (Fig. S) that ~ecure~ the ~trip 72 to the shelf 56 The
anchor means 70 further include3 (see Figs. 2 and 5) two bayonet
~:~ receivin~.aperture~ 82 in the bottom wall 16 of each frame 12.
ach bayonet ~nap~ into a re~pective apert~re 82 to aecure the
frame 12 to the strip 72. The ~trlp 72 preferably lnclude~ a
plurality of pair3 of bayonet~ 80 for releasably mounting a
.. , "
plurality of ~rames 12 in ~ide-by-side re~ationship on the upper
`.` ~urface of the shelf 56, as shown in Figure 3. Alternatively,
~he ~trip 72 may compri~e a plurality of short section~ of a
length to secure an individual frame 12 to the shelf 56.
~o in~tall the di~play de~ice 10, the ~trip 72 i~ placed
~,, along ~he front edge of the horizontally extending shelf 56. The
.~, anchor base member 72 1~ held in positlon on the shel~ by the
contact adhe~ive ~1. The top oP a ~hipping container 2g i9
i~; removed to provide the container 29 with an open face that
'7
'~ expose~ the product~ wlthln the contain~r. The frame 12 i~
~,
;~ placed over the ope~ face of the contalner 29 with the acce~
opening 22 providing accese to the product~ inside the container.
~; The container 29 and the attached frame 12 are placed on ~he
shelf 56 with the aperture~ ~2 in the fra~e 12 aligned with two
bayonets 80 on the ~trip 72, and the ~rame 12 1~ then pushed
downward ~o that the bayonet~ 80 ~nap into the aperture~ 82 to
. , .
., g
., ~
,
: ~ .
2~7~7
.~
releasab~y ~ecure the frame 12 and the container 29 on the ~hel~
56.
When all of the product~ have been removed from a ~peciflc
container, the empty container i9 removed and replac'ed by a full
container ln either of two ways. If the rear o~ the shel~ 56 lc
not acce~ible and there 1~ no accea~ to the rear of the
container 29, the ~rame 12 a~d the container 29 are removed a~ a
! unit by fir~t raislng the frame ~2 upward to di3engage the
bayonet member~ 80 on the ~trip 72. The tab element~ 50
.. facilitate grippin~ and handling of the frame 12. With the empty
contalner 29 and the frame 12 removed from the shelf, the sides
30 of the empty container 29 are depres~ed ~o that the detents ~4
are removed from the 010t8 48, thu~ releasing the container 29
for removal of the frame 12. rhe removed frame 12 i8 then placed
over the open face 2B of a new shipping container 29 filled with
products. The frame 1~ with the attached container 29 19 then
replaced on the ~helf and snapped onto the bayonet member~ ~0 a~
ha~ been previou~ly described.
~i. If the rear of the ahelf 56 i~ accessible, a seruice person
ca~ reach in from the rear of the container 29, along lt~ sides,
and presa the ~ide wall~ 30 lnward slightly to di~engage the
detent~ 34. Thi~ release~ the container 12 ~or withdraw~l ~rom
the ~rame 1~, which remain3 on the ehelf. A new full conta~ner
.,
., .
- 1 0 -
~,
~`i
2 ~ ~ r~
29 i8 then inserted into the frame 12 until the detent~ 34 extend
in~o the ~lots 4~ to hold ~he full container in place.
s The point of ~ale display, container and Yhelf a~sembly
` aecures one or a plurality of ~hipping contai~ers 29 on the ~helf
5, 56 to minimiz~ any rl~k that the conte~iners 29 will be
accidentally di910dged by customera removing product~. Thi~
~ubstantially ellminatçs the nece~ity for products to be removed
from container~ and individually atacked upon the ~helf. Simply
removing the top o~ a container and ~napping thP frame 12 in
~urrounding relation to the open face of ~he container permiSrs
the container to be placed on the ~helf without any need for
removal of tùe prooucts thereir.
i
s
~,,. ~ ,,
~ '
. ` ,
, :: .
